Former Reedley Resident Sentenced to Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

FRESNO, CA—U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wanger announced today that Samuel Garza, formerly of Reedley, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Oliver W. Wanger to seven years and three months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Fresno Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crimes Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney David Gappa prosecuted the case.

According to court documents, from December 2008 to September 2009, Garza used the Internet to receive between 300 and 600 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, several of which depicted prepubescent minors and some of which depicted images of violence or acts of sadistic or masochistic conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and ask to speak with the PSC coordinator.